Hub.



Nn.'7ll,368. Patented Oct 14,1902."

J. a. wesnanoux & J. M'cCASLAND.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1902.)

(No Model.)

Unwrap STATES Madam LL41 A it PATENT OFFijcE.

JAMES G. XVESTBROOK AND JAMES MCOASLAND, OF OGDENSBURG, NEW YORK.

HU-B.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 711,368, dated October14, 1902. Application filed February 6, 1902. Serial No. 92,800. (Nomodel.)

To alt, whom it may concern:

Be it nown that we, J AMES G.WEsTBRooK.

and JAlVL, llICOASLAND,citiZens of the United States, re; ing atOgdensburg, in the county of St. Lav. ence and State of New York, haveinventedIcertain new and useful Improvements in I'Iubs and we do herebydeclare the following 1; be afull, clear, and exact description of theinvention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in hubs; and it consists in a hubhaving an axlebox, a spoke-engaging flange, and a mortisecontainingportion formed of an integral piece of material, the mortises beingclosed at their sides and ends, a ring or cup fitting upon the axle-boxand engaging the spokes, and means for holding the said ring snuglyagainst the spokes, the structure being such that the spokes may besecured in position in the hub in constructing a wheel, so as to form awater-excluding spoke-holding portion and so as to provide a spokereceiving and holding portion of great strength.

It further consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations,and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of ahub constructed in accordance with our invention, a portion of the samebeing broken away and shown in section to reveal the interior of-thesame. Fig. 2 is a view showing the parts of the hub in side elevationand somewhat separated. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the hub, a portionof the same being broken away and shown in section to reveal themortises of the hub, some of the tenons upon the spokes being shown inplace therein.

Hubs of this general character have been heretofore constructed; butthey have been weak and not capable of having their partscomesufficiently snugly together to make a water-excluding device in acompleted wheel. The present invention is developed in order to obviatethe difiiculties heretofore experienced in hubs of a similar character.

As shown in the drawings, the principal the reduced portion 2 of the hubis preferably screw-threaded, as at 6,so that a screw-threadedspokeretaining cup or ring or a bindingnut may be screwed thereon forclamping the parts of the Wheel together. The mortises i are made of asuitable depth, the inner portions or bottoms of said mortises being atrifle larger, if anything, than the open entrance portions of saidmortises, so that the tenons of the spokes will fit very snugly thereinand will preferably have to be driven or forced into position. It willbe seen, especially by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, that eachmortise has an inclosing wall entirely around the same. This is quite anessential feature, since mortises which are open at one end or sidecannot be safely used with spokes which have to be driven into place,since such mortises are weak and unable to withstand such a strain. Bythe structure set forth in this application, in which the mortises havewalls extending entire] y around them closing the sides and endsthereof, the tenons of the spokes can be made to fit the mortises sosnugly that the said spokes have to be driven into position, and allwithout the danger of weakening or overstraining the walls of themortises or the adjacent portions of the hub. The closing of themortises at the ends, especially by means of the end walls 7, makes itpossible to put all the spokes into position and have them properly heldtherein before the cup or spokeclamping collar 8 is put upon the hub andforced against the edges of the spokes. This structure also makes itpossible for the parts of the hub to be separated and one or more spokesto be removed without the danger of all the spokes springing out ofposition, particularly in wheels in which the spokes are dished out orsomewhat bent outwardly at their outer ends, as is common in most wheelsas now built.

The spokes 9 are formed with tenons 10, which are made to fit snugly themortises 4:, while the adjacent portions of the spokes are formed withmeeting faces, as at 11, giving the hub ends of the said spokes a wedgeshape and causing them to fill completely the space between the flange 5and the cup or ring 8 when the parts of the hub are put together. Thespokes are all formed to fit quite tightly in their proper places, andin assembling the parts the alternate spokes are easily driven intoposition first and then the other alternate spokes are forced in betweenthem, the whole structure being so snugly put together as to leave nospace or crevice into which water or other materials may enter and reachthe interior of the hub structure.

The collar 8 is formed with an annular recess 12, which fits over theinner corner or annular edge of the mortised portion of the hub, theannular flanged portion 13 of said collar being arranged to bear againstthe inner edges or faces of the spokes 9 and being capable of forcingthe said spokes tightly against the integral flange 5 of the hubstructure. The collar or ring 8 may be for-med with interiorly-arrangedscrew-threads, if desired, for screwing upon the threads 6 of the hub;but the said collar ispreferably formed, as illustrated in the drawings,without interiorly-arranged screw-threads, the collar being forced intoposition upon the hub and against the spokes by means of a nut 14, whichis interiorly threaded in the usual manner and adapted to fit upon thethreads 6 of the hub. This structure is better than the one just namedin that the collar 8 may be forced against the spokes without beingturned with respect to the same, since it is only necessary to turn thenut 14 to clamp the parts in position. The annular recess 12 of thecollar 8 is made of sufficient depth to cause the flange 13 to come incontact with the faces of the spokes before the said collar engages theedge of the mortised portion 3 of the hub.

By the structure above described we find that we are enabled toconstruct a wheel of great strength, and yet with parts simple in formand easily manipulated. The parts of the hub can be taken apart forremoving old spokes and inserting new ones at any time withoutdisturbing the spokes which do not have to be replaced. The structure ofthe mortises also is especially good,since it makes it possible to usespokes which have to be driven into position, and a hub for a wheel isthus formed which is exceedingly tight and impervious to the weather oroutside conditions. The spokes also can be clamped in position by theuse of a single collar or resubstantially as described.

2. A hub, comprising an axle-box ha ving a mortised spoke-receivingannular p rtion, the said mortiseshaving walls en I-ely inclosing them,spokes having tenon adapted to be driven snugly into said 176 :tises, anouter spoke-engaging flange forn L integral with said axle-box, and aring ad't- )ted to be fastened upon the axle-box so as to bear againstthe inner side of the said spokes and clamp them against the flange onthe axlebox, to hold them in position in said mortises, substantially asdescribed.

3. A hub, comprising an axle-box having a reduced screw threaded portionformed thereon, an annular mortised spoke-receiving portion, and aprojecting annular flange to one side thereof, spokes having tenonsadapted to be forced into position in said mortises so as to bear snuglyagainst each other to form a strong arch around the hub, a clamping ringor collar having an annular recess to fit over the edge of the saidmortised portion, but not bearing against the same, the outer edge ofsaid ring opposing the flange on the axle-box and holding the spokestightly against the same, and means for holding said collar tightlyagainst the spokes, substantially as described.

4. A hub, comprising an axle-box, an annular mortised portion,and aflange formed thereon, a removable collar having an annular recessadapted to fit over the end walls of the mortises, the said annularrecess being made of greater depth than the thickness of the said endwalls so as not to bear against them, an annular flange formed on saidcollar outside the said recess for clamping the spokes against theflange on the axle-box, the depth of the said annular recess permittingthe ring to be forced tightly at all times against the spokes, and meansfor holding the said ring in position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afflx our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES G. NVESTBROOK. JAMES MCGASLAND.

Witnesses:

GEORGE B. SHEPARD, CHARLES HYDE.

